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Post by Gorilla king on Aug 2, 2021 12:47:17 GMT -5
Gigantopithecus is an extinct genus of ape from the Early to Middle Pleistocene of southern China, represented by one species, Gigantopithecus blacki. Potential identifications have also been made in Thailand, Vietnam, and Indonesia. The first remains of Gigantopithecus, two third molar teeth, were identified in a drugstore by anthropologist Ralph von Koenigswald in 1935, who subsequently described the ape. In 1956, the first mandible and over 1,000 teeth were found in Liucheng, and numerous more remains have since been found in at least 16 sites. Only teeth and four mandibles are known currently, and other skeletal elements were likely consumed by porcupines before they could fossilise.[2] Gigantopithecus was once argued to be a hominin, a member of the human line, but it is now thought to be closely allied with orangutans, classified in the subfamily Ponginae.
Gigantopithecus has traditionally been restored as a massive, gorilla-like ape, potentially 200–300 kg (440–660 lb) when alive, but the paucity of remains make total size estimates highly speculative. The species may have been sexually dimorphic, with males much bigger than females. The incisors are reduced and the canines appear to have functioned like cheek teeth (premolars and molars). The premolars are high-crowned, and the fourth premolar is very molar-like. The molars are the largest of any known ape, and have a relatively flat surface. Gigantopithecus had the thickest enamel by absolute measure of any ape, up to 6 mm (a quarter of an inch) in some areas, though was only fairly thick when tooth size is taken into account.
Gigantopithecus appears to have been a generalist herbivore of C3 forest plants, with the jaw adapted to grinding, crushing, and cutting through tough, fibrous plants; and the thick enamel functioning to resist foods with abrasive particles such as stems, roots, and tubers with dirt. Some teeth bear traces of fig family fruits, which may have been important dietary components. It primarily lived in subtropical to tropical forest, and went extinct about 300,000 years ago likely because of the retreat of preferred habitat due to climate change, and potentially archaic human activity. Gigantopithecus has become popular in cryptozoology circles as the identity of the Tibetan yeti or the American bigfoot, humanlike creatures in local folklore.
Description
Size
Total size estimates are highly speculative because only tooth and jaw elements are known, and molar size and total body weight do not always correlate, such as in the case of post-canine megadontia hominins with a small-bodied primate exhibiting comparatively massive molars and thick enamel.[15] In 1946, Weidenreich hypothesised that Gigantopithecus was twice the size of male gorillas.[9] In 1957, Pei estimated a total height of about 3.7 m (12 ft). In 1970, Simons and American palaeontologist Peter Ettel approximated a height of almost 2.7 m (9 ft) and a weight of up to 270 kg (600 lb), which is about 42% heavier than the average male gorilla. In 1979, American anthropologist Alfred E. Johnson Jr. used the dimensions of gorillas to estimate a femur length of 54.4 cm (1 ft 9 in) and humerus length of 62.7 cm (2 ft 1 in) for Gigantopithecus, about 20–25% longer than those of gorillas.[16] In 2017, Chinese palaeoanthropologist Yingqi Zhang and American anthropologist Terry Harrison suggested a body mass of 200–300 kg (440–660 lb), though conceded this was likely an overestimate and it is impossible to obtain a reliable body mass estimate without more complete remains.[2]
The average maximum length of the upper canines for presumed males and females are 21.1 mm (0.83 in) and 15.4 mm (0.61 in), respectively, and Mandible III (presumed male) is 40% larger than Mandible I (presumed female). These imply sexual dimorphism, with males being larger than females. Such a high degree of dimorphism is only surpassed by gorillas among modern apes in canine size, and is surpassed by none for mandibular disparity.[2]
Teeth and jaws
Gigantopithecus had a dental formula of 2.1.2.32.1.2.3, with two incisors, one canine, two premolars, and three molars in each half of the jaw for both jaws.[2] The canines, due to a lack of honing facets (which keep them sharp) and their overall stoutness, have been suggested to have functioned like premolars and molars (cheek teeth). Like other apes with enlarged molars, the incisors of Gigantopithecus are reduced.[17][18] Wearing on the tongue-side of the incisors (the lingual face), which can extend as far down as the tooth root, suggests an underbite.[2] Overall mandibular anatomy and tooth wearing suggests a side-to-side movement of the jaw while chewing (lateral excursion).[19] The incisors and canines have extremely long tooth roots, at least double the length of the tooth crown (the visible part of the tooth). These teeth were closely packed together.[2]
In the upper jaw, the third premolar averages 20.3 mm × 15.2 mm (0.8 in × 0.6 in) in surface area, the fourth premolar 15.2–16.4 mm (0.60–0.65 in), the first and/or second molars (which are difficult to distinguish) 19.8 mm × 17.5 mm (0.78 in × 0.69 in), and the third molar 20.3 mm × 17.3 mm (0.80 in × 0.68 in). In the lower jaw, the third premolar averages 15.1 mm × 20.3 mm (0.59 in × 0.80 in), the fourth premolar 13.7 mm × 20.3 mm (0.54 in × 0.80 in), the first/second molars 18.1 mm × 20.8 mm (0.71 in × 0.82 in), and the third molar 16.9 mm × 19.6 mm (0.67 in × 0.77 in). The molars are the biggest of any known ape.[2] Teeth appear to have increased in size over time.[20] The premolars are high-crowned, and the lower have two tooth roots, whereas the upper have three. The lower molars are low-crowned, long and narrow, and waist at the midline—which is more pronounced in the lower molars—with low-lying and bulbous cusps and rounded-off crests.[2]
en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gigantopithecus
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Post by Gorilla king on Aug 2, 2021 13:20:16 GMT -5
A replica of Gigantopithecus at the Museum of Man in San Diego:
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Post by Gorilla king on Aug 2, 2021 13:32:52 GMT -5
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Post by Gorilla king on Aug 2, 2021 13:35:33 GMT -5
Gigantopithecus and its relationship to Australopithecus
Abstract and Figures
Gigantopithecus blacki and G. bilaspurensis are compared to P. gorilla and Australopithecus. The total morphological pattern of Gigantopithecus mandibles is more similar to Australopithecus than to P. gorilla. Two major points are raised. (1) G. blacki might be considered an aberrant hominid rather than an aberrant pongid. (2) G. bilaspurensis can be considered an equally likely candidate, along with Ramapithecus, for possible hominid ancestry.
www.researchgate.net/publication/227815594_Gigantopithecus_and_its_relationship_to_Australopithecus
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Post by Gorilla king on Aug 2, 2021 13:39:19 GMT -5
RECREATION OF A GIGANTO-TIGER INTERACTION
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Post by Gorilla king on Aug 2, 2021 13:43:06 GMT -5
PREHISTORIC FAUNA
Gigantopithecus (Gigantopithecus von Koenigswald, 1935)
Order: Primates
Family: Pongidae
Temporal range: during the Late Miocene - Midle Pleistocene epoch in Asia (1.8 mya - 400 years ago)
Dimensions: height - 300 сm, weight - 150 - 500 kg
A typical representative: Gigantopithecus blacki von Koenigswald, 1935
Gigantopithecus was a genus of ape that existed from 1 to 5 million years ago in what is today the countries of China and India. The fossil record suggests that the Gigantopithecus species were the largest apes that ever lived. It was a quadruped and an herbivore and probably had a diet that consisted primarily of bamboo. Although it is not known why Gigantopithecus died out, researchers believe that climate change and resource competition with better adapted species were the main reasons.
Based on the slim fossil evidence, Gigantopithecus was likely near ten feet tall and weighed from 150 - 500 kg — 2 to 3 times larger than gorillas, although its closest living relatives are the orangutans. Some cryptozoologists have claimed that a race of gigantopithecines are the legendary primates known in various geographic locations as Bigfoot, Yeren or Yeti.
prehistoric-fauna.com/Gigantopithecus
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Post by Gorilla king on Aug 2, 2021 13:48:42 GMT -5
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Post by Gorilla king on Aug 2, 2021 18:55:41 GMT -5
Extinct giant ape directly linked to the living orangutan
Date:November 13, 2019
Source:University of Copenhagen The Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences
Summary:Researchers have succeeded in reconstructing the evolutionary relationship between a two million year old giant primate and the living orangutan. It is the first time genetic material this old has been retrieved from a fossil in a subtropical area. This allows the researchers to accurately reconstruct animal, including human, evolutionary processes way beyond the limits known today.
By using ancient protein sequencing, researchers have retrieved genetic information from a 1.9 million year old extinct, giant primate that used to live in a subtropical area in southern China. The genetic information allows the researchers to uncover the evolutionary position of Gigantopithecus blacki, a three-meter tall and may be up to 600 kg heavy primate, revealing the orangutan as its closest, living relative.
It is the first time that genetic material this old has been retrieved from a warm, humid environment. The study is published in the scientific journal Nature, and the results are groundbreaking within the field of evolutionary biology, according to Frido Welker, Postdoc at the Globe Institute at the Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences and first author of the study.
'Primates are relatively close to humans, evolutionary speaking. With this study, we show that we can use protein sequencing to retrieve ancient genetic information from primates living in subtropical areas even when the fossil is two million years old. Until now, it has only been possible to retrieve genetic information from up to 10,000-year-old fossils in warm, humid areas. This is interesting, because ancient remains of the supposed ancestors of our species, Homo sapiens, are also mainly found in subtropical areas, particularly for the early part of human evolution. This means that we can potentially retrieve similar information on the evolutionary line leading to humans', says Frido Welker.
Today, scientists know that the human and the chimpanzee lineages split around seven or eight million years ago. With the previous methodologies though, they could only retrieve human genetic information not older than 400,000 years. The new results show the possibility to extend the genetic reconstruction of the evolutionary relationships between our species and extinct ones further back in time, at least up to two million years -- covering a much larger portion of the entire human evolution.
Analyzing ancient dental enamel proteins using mass spectrometry-based proteomics
In a recent study, also published on Nature, Enrico Cappellini, Associate Professor at the Globe Institute and senior author on this study, initially demonstrated, together with an international team of colleagues, the massive potential of ancient protein sequencing.
By sequencing proteins retrieved from dental enamel about two million years old, we showed it is possible to confidently reconstruct the evolutionary relationships of animal species that went extinct too far away in time for their DNA to survive till now. In this study, we can even conclude that the lineages of orangutan and Gigantopithecus split up about 12 million years ago', says Enrico Cappellini.
Sequencing protein remains two million years old was made possible by stretching to its limits the technology at the base of proteomic discovery: mass spectrometry. State of the art mass spectrometers and the top palaeoproteomics expertise needed to get the best out of such sophisticated instrumentation are key resources deriving from the decade-long strategic collaboration with Jesper Velgaard Olsen, Professor at Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Protein Research and co-author on this study.
The mystery of Gigantopithecus
The fossil evidence attributed to Gigantopithecus was initially discovered in southern China in 1935, and it is currently limited to just a few lower jaws and lots of teeth. No complete skull and no other bone from the rest of the skeleton has been found so far. As a result, there has been a lot of speculation about the physical appearance of this mysterious animal.
'Previous attempts to understand which could be the living organism most similar to Gigantopithecus could only be based on the comparison of the shape of the fossils with skeletal reference material from living great apes. Ancient DNA analysis was not an option, because Gigantopithecus went extinct approximately 300,000 years ago, and in the geographic area Gigantopithecus occupied no DNA older than approximately 10,000 years has been retrieved so far. Accordingly, we decided to sequence dental enamel proteins to reconstruct its evolutionary relation with living great apes, and we found that orangutan is Gigantopithecus' closest living relative', says Enrico Cappellini.
The study of human evolution by palaeoproteomics will continue in the next years through the recently established "Palaeoproteomics to Unleash Studies on Human History (PUSHH)" Marie Sk?odowska Curie European Training Network (ETN) Programme.
The research is funded mainly by VILLUM FONDEN, the Novo Nordisk Foundation, and the Marie Sklowowska-Curie Actions Individual Fellowship and International Training Network programmes.
www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/11/191113153053.htm
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Post by Gorilla king on Aug 2, 2021 18:57:35 GMT -5
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Post by Gorilla king on Aug 2, 2021 18:58:56 GMT -5
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Post by Gorilla king on Aug 2, 2021 19:05:39 GMT -5
Proteins from this Gigantopithecus blacki jaw reveal how the mysterious ape relates to modern primates.
‘Dragon teeth’ reveal ancient ape’s place in primate family tree
In 1935, anthropologist Gustav von Koenigswald came across several strange teeth in drug stores in Hong Kong and southern China. The specimens, sold as “dragon teeth,” to be ground up for use in Chinese medicine, were special: They were apelike, but huge—much bigger than the molars of any other fossil or living primates. Their size (and that of four fossilized jaw bones) suggested that Gigantopithecus blacki was the largest primate ever discovered, towering nearly 3 meters in height. But without any skulls or skeletons, researchers didn’t know whether the animal, which lived from roughly 2 million to 200,000 years ago, was a relative of today’s orangutans, today’s African apes, or something else entirely.
Now, by piecing together clues from proteins in the enamel of a 1.9-million-year-old tooth found in Chuifeng Cave in southern China, researchers have evidence that at last allows them to place G. blacki on the primate family tree. The work solves a long-standing evolutionary puzzle and demonstrates that genetic information can survive in proteins much longer—and under more difficult conditions—than many people had thought.
Frido Welker, an evolutionary geneticist at the University of Copenhagen, and his colleagues set out to examine G. blacki teeth for intact pieces of proteins called peptides, which may be preserved for up to a few million years—far longer than more fragile DNA. Welker and his colleagues dissolved tiny amounts of enamel from a G. blacki molar and used mass spectrometry to identify more than 500 peptides that matched six proteins. By comparing the amino acids to those in the same six proteins in living apes, including orangutans, gorillas, and other apes and monkeys, they calculated that the giant ape was most closely related to orangutans. The two lineages probably split off between 10 million and 12 million years ago, they report today in Nature.
That’s not completely unexpected, says paleoanthropologist Russell Ciochon of the University of Iowa in Iowa City, who wasn’t involved in the study. But having direct molecular evidence—especially of the timing of the split—is exciting. The work also shows for the first time that fossil teeth can retain usable genetic information for millions of years in hot and humid regions where organic matter breaks down faster. Although the tooth itself is just shy of 2 million years old, the warm temperatures of the cave (an average of 20°C) pushes its so-called “thermal age” to 12 million years—about five times the thermal age of any other skeletal proteins sequenced to date. “Now, we know that we can retrieve [genetic information] from something that is almost 2 million years old from a subtropical environment,” says University of Copenhagen paleogeneticist Enrico Cappellini, who helped lead the project with Welker.
The key, he says, was to focus on the enamel proteins. Both before and after death, the minerals in tooth enamel keep water out and help the tooth resist decomposition. The success with G. blacki suggests enamel from other fossil teeth might help sort out the relationships between other early apes, Ciochon says, including how G. blacki was related to great apes that lived in India and Pakistan. And because 12 million years is close to the thermal age of many intriguing fossils in the human lineage, Cappellini says, “This brings us closer to thinking it could be feasible to investigate hominins from Africa. It’s at least possible.”
www.sciencemag.org/news/2019/11/dragon-teeth-reveal-ancient-ape-s-place-ancient-primate-family-tree
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Post by tyrannosaurs on Aug 2, 2021 20:09:45 GMT -5
Gigantopithecus blacki: a giant ape from the Pleistocene of Asia revisited: Gigantopithecus blacki is the largest hominoid that ever lived. The consensus view is that it is a specialized pongine and late-surviving member of the Sivapithecus-Indopithecus lineage. It is known primarily from Early and Middle Pleistocene cave sites in southern China, dating from 2.0 Ma to almost 300 ka. The cause of its extinction in the late Middle Pleistocene is unknown, but ecological change or the arrival of Homo erectus may have been contributing factors. Gigantopithecus is highly specialized in its dentognathic anatomy, with a unique combination of features that distinguish it from all other hominoids. Based on the size of its dentition and mandible, a reasonable estimate of its body mass would be 200–300 kg. There was a progressive increase in dental size from the Early Pleistocene to the Middle Pleistocene, and possibly a shift towards greater complexity of the cheek teeth. Gigantopithecus exhibits a relatively high degree of sexual dimorphism, implying a high level of male-male competition, but the relatively small canines in both sexes suggest that these teeth were not important in agonistic behaviors. The species inhabited a subtropical monsoon forest with a closed canopy and dense understory. Foraging was focused on the forest floor and its diet included a broad range of C3 plants, including fruits, leaves and stems, and possibly tubers. The cheek teeth and jaws were adapted for processing a wide variety of bulky, fibrous, and abrasive food items, but the small incisors indicate that incisal preparation was not an important part of its feeding repertoire. onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/ajpa.23150
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Post by tyrannosaurs on Aug 3, 2021 7:50:17 GMT -5
Gigantopithecus skull #2 Gigantopithecus blacki Mick Wood Reconstruction: New for 2019 the newest reconstruction of Gigantopithecus skull. Created by Master artist Mick Wood this new reconstruction more accurately reflects the true size of the largest Ape to ever live. Dr. Grover Krantz has published an articlew here he gives the upper and lowwr size eatimates of an adult male Gigantopithecus based on measurements of the known fossils. The skull cast reconstruction that Dr. Krantz created used the lower end (smaller) measurements whereas the new 2019 reconstruction uses the upper end (larger) measurements. Skull cast measures approximately 17 inches tall, 13 inches wide and 14 inches long! The absolute largest hominid skull available anywhere! Real human skull shown for scale. Skull cast is brown ("please specify if you would like it unpainted or another color (shipping weight is approximate) bigfootcasts.com/products/gigantopithecus-skull-2-gigantopithecus-blacki-mick-wood-reconstruction
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Post by Gorilla king on Jul 22, 2022 18:17:30 GMT -5
Calcium isotope ecology of early Gigantopithecus blacki (∼2 Ma) in South China
Abstract
Gigantopithecus blacki is the largest hominoid with massive jaws and thick tooth enamel in the world and lasts from the early Early Pleistocene to the middle Pleistocene in South China. Understanding its foraging ecology is vital to unlocking the mysteries of its survival, evolution, and extinction. Although many analytical methods have been applied to reveal its foraging ecology, there is still a lack of direct evidence on the trophic level of G. blacki. For the first time, we presented the Ca isotope data of Gigantopithecus fauna at the locality of Liucheng Gigantopithecus Cave (∼2 Ma), Guangxi, China during the early Early Pleistocene. The isotopic pattern from herbivores to carnivores is following the general trophic rule, i.e., the step decrease of δ44/42Ca values alongside the food chain. However, the cervids and Stegodon have extremely low δ44/42Ca values that are close to carnivores (hyenas) while G. blacki and Ailuropoda have the highest δ44/42Ca values among animals. When compiling the isotopic (δ13C, δ18O, δ44/42Ca) data together, we distinguish the animal niches well. Considering the dietary and physiological factors to influence δ44/42Ca values in diets, we suggest that cervids and Stegodon could have consumed lots of grasses and/or bones as an additional mineral supplement and that G. blacki and giant panda might have fed on C3 plant leaves and/or minerals from soils or rocks. The comparison of δ44/42Ca values among G. blacki, modern primates, and hominins indicates the significantly highest δ44/42Ca values in G.blacki in Asia and Paranthropus boisei in Africa. Even though both animals have distinctive δ13C and δ18O values, they have quite close δ44/42Ca values, suggesting a possible shared similar mechanism of Ca fractionation. Finally, the implications of δ44/42Ca values to reveal animal diets and physiology on species-specific scales were discussed. We hypothesize that foraging on mineral licks from soils or rocks could have been one of the main driving factors to account for the high δ44/42Ca values in the enamel of G.blacki, P. boisei, and giant panda, which possibly meets physiological demands to adapt to chew hard foodstuffs. Our study provides novel insights into the uniqueness of G.blacki's foraging ecology and displays the complexity of Ca isotope values to decipher animal diets and physiology.
www.researchgate.net/publication/359786317_Calcium_isotope_ecology_of_early_Gigantopithecus_blacki_2_Ma_in_South_China
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Post by gorigorillas492 on Sept 14, 2023 10:46:43 GMT -5
CALCULATING GIGANTOPITHECUS BLACKI'S MEAN WEIGHT by exploiting the sizes of two large apes; Bornean orangutan and Eastern gorilla via isometric scaling [SIMPLE VER.] (by edodimospithecus, linguru, gorigorillas492; with unasked but must needed help from theundertaker45).
Note: Height of 6'10 (~210 cm) acquired via scaling based off gorillae humeri by theundertaker45, originally estimated in 1979.
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Orangutan:
The initial height is 139.7 cm and the final height is 210 cm. The scaling factor for height is:
Final height / Initial height = 210 cm / 139.7 cm ≈ 1.503
Now, applying the square-cube law:
Weight ratio = (Scaling factor)^3 ≈ (1.503)^3 ≈ 3.378
So, if the orangutan's initial weight is 75 kg, after the height change to 210 cm, its weight would be approximately:
Final weight ≈ Initial weight * Weight ratio ≈ 75 kg * 3.378 ≈ 253.35 kg
Gorilla:
The initial height is 175.29 cm and the final height is 210 cm. The scaling factor for height is:
Final height / Initial height = 210 cm / 175.29 cm ≈ 1.197
Now, applying the square-cube law:
Weight ratio = (Scaling factor)^3 ≈ (1.197)^3 ≈ 1.724
So, if the gorilla's initial weight is 165 kg, after the height change, its weight would be approximately:
Final weight ≈ Initial weight * Weight ratio ≈ 165 kg * 1.724 ≈ 284.46 kg
Gigantopithecus:
(284.46 + 253.35) ÷ 2 = 268.905.
Answer = gigantopithecus weighed on average 268.905 kg and stood at 210 cm.
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Gigantopithecus was estimated to be 270 kg by experts (Simmon & Ettel, 1970), my results coincide with this estimation. Thus I consider my results reliable.
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Post by arctozilla on Sept 15, 2023 2:33:42 GMT -5
Who is stronger between a grizzly and Gigantopithecus?
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Post by Gorilla king on Sept 15, 2023 6:42:58 GMT -5
Who is stronger between a grizzly and Gigantopithecus? Well, Giganto was 6'9, 270 kg, that would had been a very strong animal, the oranguntan is its closest living relative, the orangutan has very strong front limbs because of its arboreal lifestyle. In a wild guess of course, i would say Giganto and a grizzly would be about equal in strength, but who knows.
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Post by arctozilla on Sept 16, 2023 3:06:26 GMT -5
Nice answer but I believe a coastal grizzly would win but not easily.
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Post by Gorilla king on Sept 16, 2023 6:48:15 GMT -5
Nice answer but I believe a coastal grizzly would win but not easily. Oh yeah, i believe so also. I was talking about a grizzly around same weight.
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Post by Gorilla king on Jan 11, 2024 19:29:23 GMT -5
The demise of the giant ape Gigantopithecus blacki
Abstract and Figures
The largest ever primate and one of the largest of the southeast Asian megafauna, Gigantopithecus blacki¹, persisted in China from about 2.0 million years until the late middle Pleistocene when it became extinct2–4. Its demise is enigmatic considering that it was one of the few Asian great apes to go extinct in the last 2.6 million years, whereas others, including orangutan, survived until the present⁵. The cause of the disappearance of G. blacki remains unresolved but could shed light on primate resilience and the fate of megafauna in this region⁶. Here we applied three multidisciplinary analyses—timing, past environments and behaviour—to 22 caves in southern China. We used 157 radiometric ages from six dating techniques to establish a timeline for the demise of G. blacki. We show that from 2.3 million years ago the environment was a mosaic of forests and grasses, providing ideal conditions for thriving G. blacki populations. However, just before and during the extinction window between 295,000 and 215,000 years ago there was enhanced environmental variability from increased seasonality, which caused changes in plant communities and an increase in open forest environments. Although its close relative Pongo weidenreichi managed to adapt its dietary preferences and behaviour to this variability, G. blacki showed signs of chronic stress and dwindling populations. Ultimately its struggle to adapt led to the extinction of the greatest primate to ever inhabit the Earth.
www.researchgate.net/publication/377303569_The_demise_of_the_giant_ape_Gigantopithecus_blacki
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